Stanley Cup finals notebook: Boston heat reaches Garden ice

BOSTON — The Bruins' last home game of this season is the first they ever played in the summer in Boston.

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By The Associated Press

recordonline.com

By The Associated Press

Posted Jun. 25, 2013 at 2:00 AM

By The Associated Press
Posted Jun. 25, 2013 at 2:00 AM

Stanley Cup finals

(Chicago leads 3-2; x-if necessary)

Wednesday, June 12: Chicago 4, Boston 3 (3 OT)

Saturday, June 15: Boston 2, Chicago 1 (OT)

Monday, June 17: Boston 2, Chicago 0

Wedne...

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Stanley Cup finals

(Chicago leads 3-2; x-if necessary)

Wednesday, June 12: Chicago 4, Boston 3 (3 OT)

Saturday, June 15: Boston 2, Chicago 1 (OT)

Monday, June 17: Boston 2, Chicago 0

Wednesday, June 19: Chicago 6, Boston 5 (OT)

Saturday, June 22: Chicago 3, Boston 1

Monday, June 24: Chicago at Boston, n

x-Wednesday, June 26: Boston at Chicago, 8 p.m.

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BOSTON — The Bruins' last home game of this season is the first they ever played in the summer in Boston.

The temperature reached a high of 95 on Monday and the Bruins and Blackhawks were anticipating a somewhat sluggish ice surface for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals. There was fog in the building during the teams' morning skates.

"With some fans in the building tonight, it'll get obviously warmer," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "I thought the ice this morning was in pretty good shape."

The Blackhawks could win their second championship in four years with a victory on Monday.

In Game 3 in Boston, the ice was "pretty bad," Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg said after his team's 2-0 win then. "If there's a play to be made, you have to make sure it's an easy one."

Which teams handle the conditions better loomed as a factor in Game 6.

"Those are conditions that you have to play with at this time of year," Julien said. "Everybody has been through it, and two teams are going through the same conditions. Both teams are going to tell you the same truth — keep the game simple and try and avoid those mistakes from overhandling pucks in those kind of ice conditions."

Though he allowed five goals in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals, all to his glove side, his team still won 6-5 in overtime. He was much better in Game 5 when the Blackhawks won 3-1 to take a 3-2 series lead over the Bruins.

"I have a job to do," Crawford said. "Whatever is being said doesn't really affect what I'm going to do on the ice."

He went into Game 6 with a 1.83 goals-against average, tied with Boston's Tuukka Rask for the best in the postseason. In the finals, Crawford and Rask each allowed 13 goals in the first five games.

Crawford played in one regular-season contest but no playoff games when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2009-10.

"It's exciting to have that opportunity," he said, "but (you) can't get too up, and you've got to prepare the same way."